78 Saab The Bells Line by: Liam Tracey Tue:20-Nov-07 Label: Ivy League Records Year: 2007 WB rating 66 out of 100

78 Saab seemed to disappear following the touring of their second album, 2004’s Crossed Lines. But three years on they’ve returned, releasing their third album, The Bells Line, full of fine acoustically driven alternative tracks. Adding to the growing list of Ivy League releases in the past twelve months – joining the likes of Josh Pyke, The Mess Hall, Red Riders and Bridezilla – the album was recorded and mixed over four weeks at Velvet Sounds and Tiger Studios in Sydney.

Returning to a sound similar to that of Crossed Lines, 78 Saab show that a band does not need to recreate itself to still produce quality recordings. Echoes of Crossed Lines resonate throughout The Bells Line, and not just in the title. Jake Andrews delivers the same sharp, country twang on guitar and Ben Nash still offers Michael Stipe-like vocals. Whilse the sound is similar, this album’s freshness and separation from its predecessor arises thanks to the band’s finely evolved storytelling. Where Crossed Lines told tales about the real world, The Bells Line delves further into dreamlike sequences and songs about the stars and sky, these lyrical themes driven by expansive, boundless imagery. Whilst staying true to their sound, 78 Saab creatively and successfully reinvent themselves through these 10 tracks.

The majority of tracks are of a placid nature and make the album very easy to listen to. Songs of this ilk, like ‘One of These Days’ and ‘Needle in the Hay’, have been saved from potential dreariness by their proximity to faster-paced tracks which are positioned strategically. One such example is ‘Drive’, a song that folds and unfolds two distinctly different riffs, with Nash’s falsetto striking the listener as he coasts in and out of verses. Tracks such as this, and the equally powerful ‘Kandahar’ are placed wisely among the slower material to ensure that the album does not descend into sameness.

This is the main rebuttal to the idea of The Bells Line as a simple Youth Group recap, despite both Nash’s voice and the acoustic style echoing the band’s Ivy League label mates. This comparison may also be linked to the production of Wayne Connolly, but another facet that distinguishes 78 Saab is the band’s heavy emphasis on an alt/country sound, one punctuated by the twangy guitar of Andrews and the stripped back percussion of Nicholai Danko. Additionally, the uplifting nature of tracks such as ‘Sleephead’ gives this album a longevity which sets it apart from many of its contemporaries.

Complementing the album finely and providing another degree of separation the group have recruited a range of external talent to lend a hand on The Bells Line. Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie appears more than once, providing keyboard on ‘Kandahar’ and then guitar for the closing track, ‘Sleephead’. La Huva’s Tim Kevin plays piano on ‘Nothing as it Seems’ and Sydney’s Jason Steel appears, providing pedal steel on several tracks, including the love song ‘Lean On It’. The inclusion of such guests has again helped the expansion of ideas and creative reach of the band.

These add-ins and the more expansive storytelling have provided this Sydney four-piece with a reinvigorated sound that has developed immensely since their previous efforts.